MLB Player News

Hall (knee/forearm) struck out one batter and gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks over 2.2 innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Nashville.

Hall resumed his rehab assignment with Nashville after he had been shut down for just under two weeks while he recovered from a bruised left forearm, an injury he sustained when he was struck by a line drive in his previous rehab outing July 9. As expected, Hall looks like he'll be built back up for a starting role, as he tossed 49 pitches (26 strikes) in his return to Nashville. He'll likely need at least two more outings in the minors to get fully stretched out before the Brewers potentially bring him back from the 60-day injured list and clear a spot for him in the rotation.

The Giants will call Birdsong up from Single-A San Jose to start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Birdsong was sent to the minors even after striking out 12 while limiting the Rockies to two runs in six innings at Coors Field this past weekend. He'll make a second straight start against Colorado on Saturday, this time at Oracle Park. Birdsong is likely to be sent back to the minors again no matter how he fares Saturday, presuming Alex Cobb (hip) gets through his final rehab start with no issues and is able to return from the 60-day injured list next week.

The Giants are planning to move Hicks to the bullpen and could do so as soon as this weekend, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hicks made his last start on 11 days' rest but still struggled, yielding four runs on three hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday. He needed 92 pitches to cover his 3.2 frames and admitted again after the outing that his body feels "a little worn down." Hicks could get one more start Sunday, but if that happens he's expected to throw only three innings or so. The right-hander's conversion from reliever to starter began with a bang as he posted a 2.33 ERA and 48:19 K:BB over 58 innings in his first 11 starts. Since then, though, he's managed just a 6.42 ERA and 42:22 K:BB across 40.2 frames covering nine starts. Hicks' 98.2 innings are already his career high by 21 frames. He will move to short relief soon, but the Giants plan to put Hicks back in the rotation in 2025.

The Dodgers activated Kershaw (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Thursday for his start against the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw will make his season debut Thursday after completing a comeback from offseason shoulder surgery. The 36-year-old made three rehab starts, allowing three runs with a 12:2 K:BB over 10 innings. He went four innings and threw 67 pitches his last time out, so he won't go deep into Thursday's start, and there's a good chance his workload will be relatively limited for the remainder of this season. Kershaw was still highly effective in 2023 even with diminished stuff, collecting a 2.46 ERA and 137:40 K:BB over 131.2 frames covering 24 starts.

Herz is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Herz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on July 8, though his demotion always looked to be the result of the Nationals wanting to maintain more flexibility with their active roster heading into the All-Star break. He rejoined the big club when a fifth starter was needed for the first time in the second half Tuesday and worked five innings in a loss to the Padres, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. Herz will take a 1-4 record and 4.95 ERA into his ninth start of the season with the Nationals on Sunday.

Megill is likely to receive a call-up from Triple-A Syracuse to replace the injured Christian Scott (elbow) in the Mets rotation Saturday versus Atlanta at Citi Field, Andy Martino reported Wednesday on SportsNet New York's "Baseball Night in New York" program.

Martino relays that the Mets envision using Megill as a high-leverage reliever late in the season, but since he's remained stretched out as a starter after being optioned to Syracuse in late June, the right-hander will be plugged back into the big club's six-man rotation. In his prior eight starts with the Mets this season, Megill turned in a 5.08 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 39 innings, but his underlying numbers (4.29 SIERA, 17.1 K-BB%) suggested that he pitched slightly better than his ERA would indicate.

Glasnow (8-6) took the loss against the Giants on Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out four.

Glasnow struggled with his command a bit in his return to the rotation, issuing walks in each of the first three innings before surrendering a leadoff homer to Matt Chapman to open the fourth. The right-hander threw just eight of his 21 first pitches for strikes while matching his season high with four free passes. On a positive note, Glasnow was able to get through five frames without any apparent setbacks and still managed to produce 10 whiffs despite his command issues. He's now allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last eight starts.

Ray (1-0) earned the win over the Dodgers on Wednesday, surrendering one run on two walks over five innings while not allowing any hits. He struck out eight and also hit two batters.

Ray struggled with his command in the first inning, allowing two walks while also hitting two batters with pitches, which led to a run coming home for the Dodgers. However, the veteran lefty came back strong in the second, striking out the side en route to hurling four consecutive 1-2-3 innings. Ray certainly impressed in his first start since undergoing Tommy John Surgery over a year ago, inducing 22 swings and misses on the night. He'll look to carry that momentum into his next outing, which is expected to come at home against Oakland next week.

Nelson did not factor into the decision in a win over the Royals on Wednesday, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings while striking out two.

Nelson got knocked around throughout the contest, allowing multiple baserunners in five of his six innings of work. Three of the four runs he was charged with came across in the fourth after the right-hander surrendered a leadoff double to Michael Massey to open the frame before allowing him to advance to third on a wild pitch. Nelson had not permitted more than three runs in any of his previous four starts this month, while his two strikeouts marked his lowest total since June 20 against Washington. He still holds a 2.97 ERA in July after Wednesday's start and hasn't suffered a loss since June 26 against Minnesota.

The Reds optioned Richardson to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Richardson did not make an appearance during his brief time in the majors this week. The right-hander will now slide back into the Louisville rotation, where he has a 4.29 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 77.2 innings this season.